Letters
by GennaWeasley
Summary: There's an awful lot of time on the Doctor's timeline that isn't accounted for, when you think about it. In some of that time - between Martha's time as a Companion and Donna's - Alex was lucky enough to travel with the Doctor and Jack Harkness. Rescue missions, microwave mayhem, and an outrageous amount of running ensue.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_Elle,_

_You've been staying with that detective and his mate again lately, yeah? I've been traveling lately, thought I might stop by. Would you like that?_

_Write back quick, Tell. Myles is driving me crazy and I need to borrow somebody else's hands for a while._

_Love you, dearest._

- _Andy_

_Xandra,_

_Definitely visit me, m'love. The boys are getting restless – they haven't had a case in a couple days and S is gonna start shooting up the walls if they don't get one soon. And that's not even code or anything. He's actually done it before. But I don't blame him. With nothing to do it gets awful boring in this flat._

- _Telly_

_PS- Give my love to Myles, too._

"So you're going to visit Tell then, Alex?" Myles inquired.

"'Course I am! That's an actual _invitation_! And plus, I've wanted to go to London for ages," Alex replied. She jumped up, started scurrying around and throwing her clothes and such into a suitcase.

"Why are you packing already?" Myles asked. "Don't you have to book a flight and stuff?"

"You're kidding, Miley," said Alex. "I've had flight plans for a while now. Timing them so I'd get Elle's response before I left was just a courtesy."

* * *

_a/n - so here's the deal: this story is already completely one hundred percent finished. I'm reposting it - it was originally put up chapter by chapter on my tumblr (which is still the only place to read any of the shorts that go along with this, although at the end of each chapter I'll tell you any shorts that I've already written that fit into this au around that time or in a gap after that chapter)._

... _By the way, I write shorts (one shots) in this universe all the time, because I really like to write Letters-verse. They fill in gaps in the time line and give background for the main story. But they're not really necessary to understand what's going on - in fact, they're posted in a completely random order because time's wibbly-wobbly and I don't feel the need to write the shorts in chronological order._

_Gah. This author's note is almost as long as the prologue! But I felt this all needed to be said... I PROMISE MY OTHER AUTHOR'S NOTES WON'T BE THIS TERRIBLY LONG! Keep reading!_


	2. One

_**Chapter One**_

Alex was being tourist-ey when it happened, just wandering around and exploring. The people around her started freaking out. She couldn't even hear what was going on over the shouts of the crowd. Someone collided with her.

"Sorry," they said. _Male, tall – 6 inches taller than me? – running fast enough to almost knock me over, but calm, _she thought, trying to get a mental picture of the person standing in front of her. "Why aren't you running?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I'm not one for joining a crowd when I don't know why they're running."

"Don't you see that?" he asked, surprised.

"No," she replied blankly. "I assume you're pointing at something."

"You're blind?"

"Sometimes."

"That makes no sense."

"So is having a man run into me who is running away from something I can't even_hear_."

"Right. About that," he said, "You might want to join me."

And with that, he grabbed her hand and dragged her after him.

—

Two hours later, she was standing with the man – who had since introduced himself as "the Doctor" and nothing more - in a warehouse, judging by the echoes. She was fairly certain the lights were out, and she could faintly hear something that didn't exactly sound human coming from a ways away.

Heavy footsteps were quickly approaching their hiding place.

"Doctor," Alex whispered. "Someone's coming."

"Yeah, I can see him," the Doctor replied quietly, sounding frustrated. "He could be a _little_ more subtle."

"Hey Doc," a new man's voice said.

"Jack," the Doctor said sternly. "We're trying _not_ to draw attention to ourselves. And you just walked in, not even bothering to be quiet."

This 'Jack' person laughed like it was no big deal. "Who's your friend?"

"Alex," answered the Doctor.

"Hello," Jack said to Alex. "Captain Jack –"

"Oh don't even start," the Doctor interrupted. Alex giggled. "She can't even see that smirk, so wipe it off your face and help me move this."

—

It turned out that the Doctor was an alien and Jack was immortal.

Well, considering that she'd been dragged into helping them save the world from aliens, it could've been something worse.

At least they _acted_ like normal-ish people.

And really, Alex couldn't talk about weird. Not with her telepathy-induced-sometimes-blindness.

So now she was wandering around the control room of the Doctor's ship, which he told her was called the TARDIS, and desperately trying not to trip over the floor.

She failed and ended up sprawled face first on the floor.

On the upside, she hit her head hard enough for her vision to come back.

Alex blinked a couple of times, getting used to the light and colours again. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked around the TARDIS. The control room was colourful and the central console was lit up and covered in buttons and levers.

Nearby was a pair of feet belonging to either Jack or the Doctor. She wasn't sure which, since she'd never actually seen either of them.

"Oi, Converse! Little help?" she requested, holding a hand out to him. "I don't know if you're Jack or the Doctor, 'cause I haven't exactly been able to see you guys…"

"What?" he responded. _Oh, so it's the Doctor._

"I tripped, could use a hand getting up," Alex said.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and helped her up. He studied her for a moment before saying, "You can see?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Sometimes."

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting."

"Anyway, you said something about all of time and space?"

"Right! Where and when do you want to go?"

* * *

_relevant shorts:_

_- I'm Asking_


	3. Two

_**Chapter Two**_

"Doc, I think you were off a couple years," Jack had commented.

_A couple of years,_ Alex thought as they ran through a forest away from an American Civil War battlefield, _is the understatement of the millennium. _They had been aiming for the **1980s**! And how they'd gotten caught up in helping a slave escape she'd probably never know, but now they were running from her owner. 'They' in this case referred to Alex, Jack, the Doctor, and the slave they'd been helping – Elsie.

She could hear gunshots behind them (because, of course, it wasn't a _vacant _battlefield. They were mid-battle when Jack, the Doctor, Alex, and Elsie showed up).

And then – nothing. This was, as usual, followed by her tripping over something.

"Alex, are you alright? Get up, we've got to keep moving, they're still behind us!" the Doctor said, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her up. "Oh… that is not good."

"What?" Jack called. Alex estimated that he (and probably Elsie) was about 3 meters ahead of them and still running.

"She's – she can't –" the Doctor stammered.

"Jack!" shouted Alex. She waved her hand in front of her eyes. "Blind!"

"That's not good," Jack replied.

"No, it isn't," agreed the Doctor.

"We really ought to keep running," Elsie said reasonably.

"Yeah! Come on, boys," said Alex, running in the direction that Jack and Elsie's voices were coming from and dragging the Doctor along with her.

—

"You know, you could stay with us," the Doctor said to Elsie. They were in New York City, and the TARDIS was parked near the house where some of Elsie's old friends lived.

Elsie shook her head. "It's too much. Your box… Jack told me that it can travel to the stars. I'd much prefer to look at them from here, I think."

"Well then… good-bye, Elsie," he replied.

"Thank you, Doctor," Elsie said.

"Live a good life okay, Els?" requested Alex. "'Bye."

—

"So what exactly is wrong with your eyes?" asked Jack.

He had just found Alex swimming in the Library. She paused, looking up at him and considering how to respond. "I don't actually know for certain. It's just that… sometimes I can see and sometimes I can't. It's really annoying and super inconvenient sometimes, but I've learned how to deal with it." She grabbed the towel she'd found and climbed out of the pool. "Speaking of unusual things, how'd you end up immortal?"

"I died," Jack replied, not looking at her (even though she couldn't see him). "A former companion of the Doctor's brought me back without intending to. Haven't been able to die properly since."

"Sounds like quite the curse," commented Alex.

"It is."

They didn't speak for a moment. Alex wrapped herself up in the towel and walked over to where Jack was standing. "I'd imagine you're not opposed to hugs, but I figure since we haven't known each other long it might be polite to ask. Do you mind if I hug you?"

"'Course not," Jack replied with a smirk.

Alex chuckled. "Figures." She threw her arms around him. "It's probably best that you're travelling with the Doctor, then. Didn't he say something about a ridiculously long lifespan when he was explaining the Time Lords to me?"

"Well, I'm not with him full time," said Jack. "I work with that team I was telling you about on Earth most of the time."

"Right," responded Alex. "You did mention that, didn't you? Why are you with him now, then?

Jack laughed. "I'm not going to say no if he explicitly _asks_ me to tag along for a while! I just can't stay too long."

"I take it there have been instances when you weren't asked," Alex commented.

"Of course there has! You've only had a little taste of this space and time stuff, kid. But even now, if you had to go home, you'd always be looking for a way back onto the TARDIS," Jack said.

"I don't doubt it."

* * *

_relevant shorts:_

_- head space_

_- Jack, Twice Over_


	4. Two point five

_**Chapter 2.5**_

_Doc,_

_I know Jack said that after a while traveling with you transitioning back into the 'regular' world was going to be weird but… wow, Doc. I travelled through time and space and then ended up at Terra's flat in London two days after I'd left. And oh, you should have _seen_ her flatmates' faces when I was telling stories! Even Tell didn't believe me, though. I guess I should've seen that coming._

_I think I miss you, Doc._

- _Allie_

—

_Jack,_

_You were right. So right. Apparently talk of adventures in time and space just makes people worry for my sanity. Also Tell had apparently asked S to look into my disappearance, so it turns out that Doc was wrong about the 'oh, it'll be fine that you've been gone two days' thing. I told him so!_

_Myles thinks I'm writing in code again. I told you about Myles, right? I must've._

_Anyways… hopefully I'll see you around. Maybe I'll visit Cardiff sometime._

- _Allie_

* * *

_relevant shorts:_

_- Good-byes_


	5. Three

**_Chapter 3:_**

"…so it's a pit stop?" Amy summarized.

"Basically, yes," the Doctor replied.

"How long are we going to be here?" asked Rory.

"Oh, shouldn't be too long," answered the Doctor.

"Got time for a rescue mission?" The Doctor looked up. Jack Harkness was leaning against the doorframe. "Did ya miss me, Doc?"

"Who needs rescuing?" the Doctor asked.

The smirk dropped off of Jack's face. "Allie."

"Where?"

—

Alex was sitting in a prison cell, as far as she could tell. She was pretty sure that her captors were alien, although they were either speaking English or she was still affected by the TARDIS's translation stuff.

She heard footsteps approaching. _Two people_, she guessed.

Then she heard a male voice say, "It should be this way. Come along, Pond."

And then she heard the familiar sound of the sonic screwdriver.

"Doc?" she called. "Doc, is that you?"

"Alex!" the man's voice replied, closer this time. "Yes, of course it's me!"

"You did that thing, didn't you? The thing you told me about the day we met," Alex said, "With your face! Oh, what did you call it? Uh… regenerated?"

"Oh! Yes, I did, didn't I?" replied the Doctor.

Alex heard the sonic again, right in front of her.

"Doc," she said, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Really?" asked the Doctor.

"When have I lied?" asked Alex in reply.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" asked a woman's voice.

"It means she can't see," answered the Doctor.

"Who's she?" Alex inquired, nodding in the direction of the unknown voice.

"Amy Pond," the Doctor said. "New companion."

"Nice to meet you, Amy Pond," Alex greeted. She took the Doctor's outstretched hand and let him lead her in the direction that he and Amy had come from. "Where's Jack? He sent me a message promising to get help. I assume that's you."

"He's with Rory," replied the Doctor.

"And Rory is…?"

"My husband," Amy answered.

"I thought you didn't take couples on the TARDIS," commented Alex.

"New face, new rules," the Doctor said.

"Does that mean you changed the rule about Jack bringing- "

"_No._"

Alex giggled. "What about the 'Things Allie is and is not allowed to use the microwave for' list? Anything on that list changed?"

"God no," replied the Doctor. "I had to _replace_ the microwave after the batteries incident."

"Wait… she's _that_ Allie?" asked Amy. Alex nodded. "What happened that put cheesecake on the list? The Doctor won't tell me."

"I think that is a story for another day," Alex said. "We really ought to keep moving. Now where are Jack and this Rory guy, exactly?"

"Looking for you," answered the Doctor.

"Do they know you've found me?"

"No."

"You might want to, oh I dunno, _call_ one of them," Alex suggested.

"What? Oh, right!" the Doctor replied. "Here." He put a phone in her hand.

"Doc," Alex said.

"Right, blind. Give it to Amy," ordered the Doctor.

Amy took it and dialed. "Rory, we found her. Meet us back at the TARDIS, okay? … Love you, too. … 'Bye."

—

"Allie," Jack said.

"Jack!" Alex replied. He hugged her tightly. "Thanks for getting help."

"Thanks for surviving."

"You missed me, didn't you?"

"'Course I did."

"So is it true that my list is still up in the kitchen?" Alex asked.

"Why wouldn't it be? He doesn't want anybody else blowing up the microwave either," replied Jack with a laugh.

"As if _anyone_ but me would put aluminum foil into the microwave just to see what would happen," Alex said.

"Did you really try to microwave a gerbil?" Rory inquired.

"That was a preemptive measure taken by the Doctor when he picked up a few stray gerbils," replied Alex defensively.

"Stray gerbils?" repeated Amy.

"You were _going_ to microwave the gerbils," Jack said.

"For the last time, I wasn't going to do anything to the freaking gerbils!" Alex insisted. There was a brief pause and then Alex and Jack burst out laughing. "Hey Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind helping me find my room? Doc said that everything got rearranged not too long ago and I don't much fancy getting lost in the TARDIS when I can't actually see."

"Sure." He took her hand and they walked down the hall. After a few minutes she paused, rubbed her eyes, and blinked for a few times.

"Wow, great. I still don't know where I'm going," Alex commented.

"It should be this way," Jack told her. Sure enough, they found it moments later.

"This is definitely _not_ where I left it," Alex pointed out.

"Yeah, it used to be across from Squash Court 3," agreed Jack.

"That appears to be the library," observed Alex, looking across the hall. "Well then, thanks Jack. We can discuss my captivity as I'm _sure_ you want to when I get up. I'm sleepy."

He kissed her on the forehead. "We'll talk later, then."

She walked into the familiar room. "Oh, Tara, you made the bed!" Alex promptly un-made it by flopping onto the bed without even taking her shoes off. There were pictures on the wall of her and the boys on their adventures. On the shelf were trinkets she'd collected over her time on the TARDIS that she'd left behind when she'd gone back home to Myles and Henry. She reached out to touch the nearest wall. _Thanks for saving my room for me, Tara. _Then she fell asleep.


	6. Four

_**Chapter 4:**_

"Who exactly are you?" Amy asked Jack when he returned to the control room.

"What, Doc's never mentioned me?" replied Jack.

"Uh… no," Rory responded.

"Fair enough, I'm sure he doesn't want current companions getting jealous," Jack said with a smirk. "I'm the Doctor's _favourite_ fixed point in the universe."

"What do you mean fixed point?" inquired Rory.

"Isn't that what it's called when an event can't be changed without causing something catastrophic?" added Amy.

Jack nodded. "Kind of. I'm immortal. I'd say I can't die, but strictly speaking that's not true."

"He can die, it just doesn't stick," explained the Doctor.

"Because that makes so much sense," Rory commented.

"You know, Alex had the right idea. Why don't you two go off to bed?" the Doctor suggested to Rory and Amy. He and Jack exchanged serious looks. Amy and Rory resisted initially, but eventually walked up the stairs and off to their room. "How'd she get caught up with aliens, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "Beats me. Unlike some of your other former companions, the trouble Allie's gotten into since going home has been entirely mundane before now."

"What did they want her for?"

Jack shrugged again. The Doctor sighed. He _hated_ not knowing things. Hesitantly, Jack said, "I have a theory."

"Go on, then," replied the Doctor.

"Well, she _knows_ stuff, Doc. And not just about the future and what's out there – about you. About the TARDIS. About me, and Torchwood. She knows more about all of that than just about any other civilian on the planet. And then there's her abilities – my guess is that they wanted to use her for something."

"The question, really, is what _for_."

—

Alex awoke to a familiar whisper in the back of her mind. "_They're talking about you."_

"_Of course they are. They just rescued me,"_ Alex thought in reply. She yawned. "_How long have I been asleep?"_

"_Three hours, 47 minutes, 32 seconds."_

"_Only three hours?"_

"_No. Three hours, 47 minutes, 32 seconds. Very nearly 33 seconds, but I woke you. You might be able to shed some light on their topic of conversation."_

"_What exactly are they saying?"_

"_They are attempting to figure out the reason for your kidnapping."_

"_I was under the impression it had to do with … you know, this. I mean, my mind isn't strictly speaking average. I'm having a telepathic conversation with a TARDIS. I doubt that there's any other human who can say that. Actually – has Doc ever even had a conversation like this with you?"_

"_No, never. This is unique."_

"_Well, there you go." _Alex sat up. She kicked her shoes off and briefly considered wandering down the halls in search of the "closet" that was actually so extensive that her room could probably fit into it several times over. In the end, despite Tara's promises that she would help Alex find it, Alex elected to just go back to the control room and change her clothes later.

"Good morning, boys," Alex greeted.

"_Tell the Doctor I say hello. He and I haven't talked since… we haven't talked in a while."_

"Hello, Allie," the Doctor replied.

"When did you and Tara get to talk? She mentioned it when she told me to tell you she says hi," said Alex.

"Who?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "The TARDIS."

"Oh, right, yes," said the Doctor. "That's a story for another time, Allie." He paused for a minute, studying her. Her wildly curly black hair had gained a TARDIS-blue streak since he'd dropped her off at her friend's flat so long ago. Besides that, though, her appearance was unchanged. She was still looking up at him with warm brown eyes, and the expression of amused half-judgment on her face was one he'd seen a hundred times before. "You know what would be a better story for now?"

"How I ended up in an alien prison cell?" suggested Alex.

"How you ended up in an alien prison cell," agreed Jack.

Alex shrugged. "I know nothing more than you do, really. It'd only been a few hours when I got into Jack's mind and it was only about a day and a half after that before I got rescued. My captors didn't do anything in that time other than give me some food and water so I didn't die of dehydration. Or starvation, but that would've taken longer." She sat down on the stairs and leaned against the railing. "But really, boys, we're all thinking the same thing. They probably wanted some kind of Doctor or TARDIS-related information, which I am of course perfectly capable of giving. Not that I would."

"Of course you wouldn't," the Doctor said.

"That's more of the why than the how," Jack pointed out.

"Grabbed off the street," Alex said with another shrug. "The why is more interesting, I think."

"By _who?_" asked Jack. "We didn't run into anyone when we went in to get you."

"I… I don't remember," admitted Alex. "I don't think I ever actually saw them."


	7. Five

_**Chapter 5:**_

"So…gerbils," Rory said awkwardly.

"Oh for the love of Hermes, FORGET ABOUT THE GERBILS," Alex pleaded.

"Hermes?" repeated Rory.

"Ancient Greek God of travelers, I picked it up as an exclamation when I was travelling with Doc and Jack the first time. It just seemed appropriate," explained Alex. "I s'pose he'd be Mercury to you, yeah? Lone Centurion and all that?"

"How do you even know about that?"

Alex smirked. "The TARDIS is my mentor. I know a _lot_."

"What does that even mean?"

"_He won't understand if you try to explain."_

"_I know, I know. Even Doc struggles with it. And, I mean, look at his face. He's already confused. Am I doing that thing again? The thing with my face that Jack says I do when I'm talking to you?"_

"_You are."_

Alex giggled. "You should see your face right now."

"You should see yours."

"I was talking to the TARDIS. I've got an excuse. What's yours?"

"You were _talking_ to the TARDIS?" repeated Rory.

"Is there an _echo_ or something?" Alex replied. "Yes, talking to the TARDIS. It's a thing that I do sometimes. I'm not sure why that's so hard for everyone to grasp."

"Because it's the TARDIS!" exclaimed Rory. "It can't talk!"

"She."

"What?"

"_She's_ the TARDIS. And yes, she can talk. Well, in a fashion," Alex corrected. "Telepathy helps."

"You're telepathic?"

"I give up," muttered Alex. She stood up and crossed the kitchen to the refrigerator. Ignoring the ridiculously long list of things that she wasn't allowed to use the microwave for that was attached to it, she opened the freezer and took out an ice cream sandwich.

"We're ready to go!" exclaimed the Doctor, bursting into the kitchen.

"Oh thank Hermes, I was afraid I'd be stuck alone here with Rory the Awkward Centurion for another hour," replied Alex.

"Hey!" Rory said.

"Rory, eventually you're going to have to get _past_ the gerbils. Yes, Doc put them on the list. No, I wasn't going to put them in the microwave. Can we be done with this now?" Alex requested. She took a bite out of the ice cream sandwich and walked out of the kitchen.

—

"Take care of her, Jack," the Doctor said pleadingly.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I always do, Doc. I watch her like a hawk."

"I'm _blind_, not deaf, boys," Alex called from the doorway. "I can hear you."

The Doctor blushed (he had, in fact, forgotten that she was only a few feet away). On the other hand, Jack said, "You _know_ I keep an eye on you, Allie."

Alex shrugged. "You're not particularly subtle about it." She leaned against the door. "So where exactly are you dropping me off?"

"Cardiff, with Jack," replied the Doctor.

"Okay, Doc, look – it's one thing for him to monitor me from a distance, he does that for as many of your former companions as he possibly can, but I am 23 and I don't need a babysitter!"

"You were kidnapped by aliens and have no idea why. I'm not leaving you alone in New York –"

"I don't live alone, Doc."

"Well your 16-year-old brother clearly isn't the best protector, is he?"

"I don't need –"

"Yes, you do," Jack interrupted.

"I thought you left Cardiff," Alex snapped.

"I went back. It's still the best place to run into the Doctor," he replied.

"That's the plan, then, yeah? To run into the Doctor again?" she asked.

"It always is."

"I'll do my best to run into you again, too, then," said the Doctor.

"I'll miss you, Doc," Alex said.

"And I you, Allie," he responded. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. Then he released her and gave her a little push in the direction of the door.

Jack put his arm around her shoulders and saluted the Doctor with his free hand. "Until next time, Doc."

"Good-bye, Jack," the Doctor said.

"It was nice meeting you, Ponds," Alex said, waving. "Well… It could've been worse."

The Doctor and Jack laughed, as if this was some great inside joke – which it probably was, but it was completely lost on Amy and Rory. They just smiled and waved as Jack and Alex walked out of the TARDIS.

"Will we see them again, Doctor?" asked Amy.

"I hope so."


	8. Five point five

_**Chapter 5.5:**  
_

_Amy,_

_I never got to ask – how long have you been with him? The Doctor, I mean, not your husband. I'm just curious. Some of his companions stick around for a while, others not so much. Have you met any other former companions?_

_Oh, why am I asking questions? You're in the TARDIS still, it's not like you'll ever get this! Well… maybe. But it's unlikely enough that it's about as dumb as all the letters I wrote while I was in the TARDIS myself._

_I suppose that's never stopped me, though._

- _Alex_

—

_Doc,_

_Something's going on. Something's wrong. We've been trying to get hold of you and nothing's working. You haven't been answering your phone. You promised me that you'd always answer. Has something been going wrong for you, too?_

_Jack's worried, but he's trying not to show it. I was nearly kidnapped again the other day, Doc. It's a good thing Jack was nearby this time or I don't know what we'd have done. Last time, Jack found you. But you seem to have decided to __drop off the face of the__ disappear._

- _Allie_


	9. Six

_**Chapter 6:**_

Alex was curled up on the couch, half asleep, when a man dressed as a Roman Centurion burst into the sitting room.

"Rory? What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up.

"Where's Jack? I have a message from the Doctor," Rory replied.

"He's out. What's the message?"

"I'd better wait –"

"Rory! Why are you in our flat?" Jack asked as he walked through the door.

"Message from the Doctor," Alex informed him.

"What are you waiting for?" Jack asked Rory. "Tell us!"

"Amy was kidnapped and replaced with a doppelganger a while back and we've found where she is. The Doctor's putting together an army of former allies to save her," Rory told them.

Jack and Alex exchanged worried looks.

"He can count on us. He knows that," Jack said.

"When do we leave?" Alex asked.

—

"The Silence," whispered Alex. "That sounds familiar."

"Allie," the Doctor replied anxiously. "Now is not the time."

"When _is _the time?" Alex snapped.

The Doctor waved vaguely to indicate something along the lines of 'shut up, we can discuss this later'. Alex stamped her foot in frustration and snuck off toward where Jack had been before.

"Ja-ack," she called. "I have a thing I need to discuss and Doc just shooed me away."

"Over here, Allie," Jack replied. She ran to where she heard his voice. "Is something wrong?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"I remembered something," she told him. "Kidnapping. And blindness. And hearing the phrases 'the silence' and 'silence will fall' a _lot_." She clung to his jacket. "Jack, I'm scared. Something feels wrong but I don't know what it is."

Jack kissed the top of her head. "It'll be alright, Allie. It's almost over."

Alex's grip on his jacket loosened a little bit. "I dunno what's gotten into me. Something about this place just freaks me out, you know?"

—

Until this point, Jack and Alex had never yet heard or seen this particular version of the Doctor as upset as he was that day.

Although to be fair, they'd only met him twice.

They'd also met a certain archaeologist twice.

"_River?_" they said in unison after the Doctor left.

"Hello," replied River affectionately.

Jack and Alex looked at each other and then back to River. River had already turned back to Amy and Rory and started explaining that she _was_ Melody Pond.

_River's in charge of getting them home, yeah? _Alex thought, directing it at Jack.

_That's right_, River's voice replied in her head.

"What the hell?" Alex said out loud.

"Part Time Lord," River reminded her.

"Well get out of my head, would you! I only just got my vision back," Alex requested. She looked up at Jack. "You got your vortex manipulator with ya, Jack?"

Jack showed her his wrist. "Always do, little lady."

Alex looked over at River again. "Can we go now, then? This place is still kind of getting to me."

He kissed the top of her head again. "'Course we can. Hold on tight."

* * *

_Relevant shorts:_

_- Timey-Wimey_


	10. Seven

_**Chapter 7:**_

"Adventure time?" Alex asked.

Jack nodded. "I think so, yes."

"We should tell the team we're going this time," Alex declared.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Jack.

They walked to the Hub.

"Where have you two _been? _It's been days!" Maria shouted as they stepped off of the invisible lift.

"Days?" repeated Alex. She whacked Jack's arm. "You're almost as bad as _he_is!"

"Amy did tell you he missed by 12 years once, didn't she?" Jack countered.

"You missed by over a hundred once," she replied.

"HARKNESSES!" Maria yelled, preventing Jack from responding. "I will say this one more time: Where Have You BEEN?"

"Out of town," they replied in unison.

"And we're only here to pick up some things and tell you we're leaving again," added Jack.

"_Jack,"_ Gwen said.

"_Gwen_," Alex replied half-mockingly. "Look, there's something we kind of need to do. And by kind of, I mean _really_."

"With you two gone, there's only three of us," Caleb complained.

"Oh _good_, he can count," commented Alex sarcastically. "Jack, why'd you even hire him?"

"I've worked here longer than you, Harkness," snapped Caleb.

"Ooh, are we using surnames now, _Flynn_? You'd better watch it, 'cause I share that name with your boss," Alex replied venomously.

"Tara, Caleb, cut it out," Maria ordered. Caleb, who had been about to respond, closed his mouth.

_Can we just leave now, Jack? _Alex thought. Jack nodded. "We're leaving now," he announced. "We'll try to be back within a few days."

"Wait a minute, Jack, you haven't even told us where you're going! Will we be able to contact you?" Gwen said.

"We're going away," Alex answered. "And while I'll have my mobile with me, I don't think contacting us would be a particularly good idea."

"We might just turn up before you'd called," explained Jack.

"What?" Caleb and Maria responded in unison.

"I wasn't going to mention the time travel bit," Alex whispered to Jack.

Jack shrugged. "It makes it easier to explain when we're late."

"Have some experience with that, do ya?" Alex teased, elbowing him.

"Shut up," responded Jack.

—

They'd spent nearly five months on the run.

At Demons Run, Alex had suspected a connection between her kidnappers and Amy and Melody's.

Now they were _sure_ that it was the same organization.

"_GOD DAMN IT!" _Alex shouted as they ran. She waved her hand in front of her eyes, and for once she didn't miss a step. Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her forwards.

They crashed – at relatively high speed – into something very very solid.

"Jack, _you can see! _YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PREVENT ME FROM RUNNING INTO WALLS!" exclaimed Alex.

"It wasn't there before!" responded Jack.

"So you're saying it just _materialized?_" Alex said sarcastically.

"Yes!" Jack replied.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Well what the hell is it?"

"It looks like the TARDIS," Jack answered.

"Tara makes a sound when she appears!"

"Sorry about that, River changed the settings," the Doctor's voice said.

"You _idiots,"_ Alex said, whacking Jack.

"I didn't do anything this time!"

"You let me run into a big blue box!"

The Doctor chuckled. Then Alex hit him, too. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Putting the box there to begin with!"

—

About 45 minutes and two showers later, the Doctor, Jack and Alex sat in the TARDIS's kitchen. The Doctor slid a blue envelope, vaguely reminiscent of one Jack had received a long, long time ago, with the number 5 on it across the table.

"I need a favour."

* * *

_Relevant shorts:_

_- Don't Forget_


	11. Eight

_**Chapter 8:**_

Alex turned toward Jack. "I can't watch."

"It's not real, little lady, you know that," Jack responded.

"But it's still gonna _look_ real, isn't it? That's the point," she said. "Oh, of all times to not be blind."

"Put it that way, I don't much want to watch either," Jack agreed.

They sat down on their picnic blanket, determinedly facing away from the lake and the other picnic-ers across the way.

"Did we have to be here for this? Couldn't we have waited until – " Alex stopped talking as they heard shots fired and companions screaming. "…after?"

"It's not real," Jack muttered, fighting the urge to turn around and look at the goings-on behind them. "It's not real."

"It's not real," repeated Alex, "but oh _Hermes_, I'm not excited to go looking for that not-corpse."

That was the favour that the Doctor had asked of them.

"I'm going to die," he'd said. "Or at least it's going to look like it."

He had explained about the Teselecta, which he described as a 'robot operated by tiny people' that was going to help him avoid dying without screwing up a fixed point. He had asked Jack and Alex to go along and fish the body out of the lake when Amy, Rory, and River had burned it.

"It shouldn't be too damaged," the Doctor had assured them. "But I'm told that its primary systems will be focused on life support, as we'll be under water. It will have just used a good bit of energy to replicate the appearance of regeneration, so it's better if you two just come pick us up."

And they had agreed.

The last thing he'd said before they separated was that under _no _ circumstances were they allowed to talk to the younger version of himself, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, or River Song.

Jack had saluted him and Alex had kissed him on the cheek, then he'd put on his silly hat and walked to where he was meeting the aforementioned family.

So they had found themselves here, eating sandwiches and crepes with bananas and pretending that everything was alright. Because it was. Because it _had to be_. Because even though they were scared and they had been for months, even though they were sad and they had been for years, even though they were confused and they had been for days, everything was alright. The Doctor was fine, always fine, always alright. And so were they.

_Burning,_ Alex thought. _Jack, I smell burning._

"Yeah," said Jack. "Should be done soon, though."

_Is that you I feel, Sweetheart? _Tara's voice said in her head. It sounded weird, like an echo.

"Oh thank Hermes," Alex muttered. _Yeah, Tara. It's me. I'm with Jack. Why does it sound like there's two of you?_

_Oh, you brought my baby with you, _replied Tara affectionately. _I sound doubled 'cause there are actually two of me._

_Right, the Doc we came with and the Doc who's waiting in the town both have their TARDISes with them. That's you at two different points in time, just like him._

_Exactly. And the younger Doctor is none the wiser._

_The younger you is, of course._

_It's not that simple, Sweetheart. And you know it._

_Right, I know._

"Allie, you okay? Your eyes just went all unfocused, and not like they usually do."

"Sorry, I was talking to Tara. It's a lovely distraction for while we wait."

"She's close enough?"

"Yup. I mean, I don't know if I'd be able to tell you where she's parked, but we'll have the Doctor for that in a little while."

"Do you think it's safe to…?"

Alex turned around to look toward where the other picnic had been. It was vacant. They walked to the little rowboat the Doctor had given them.

—

"So they're gone, then?" Jack asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Off on an adventure you've already had. You remembered to give them the note?"

"Yup," responded Alex seriously.

"Are you two up for some travels with your favourite madman?" asked the Doctor.

"Always," Jack and Alex said in unison.

"Before we go off adventuring through the universe, there's a quick stop I need to make, if you don't mind too terribly," the Doctor told them.

"No problem," replied Alex.

"Where to?" Jack added.

"Cardiff, 2007ish," answered the Doctor.

Jack looked hesitant, but said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Cardiff, here we come."

* * *

_Relevant shorts:_

_- The Only Water in the Forest_

_- Good Luck_


	12. Nine

_**Chapter 9:**_

_Sweetheart, wake up._

_Five more minutes._

_No. Get up or I'm moving your bedroom._

_I'm not _in_ my bedroom._

_Yes, you are. It was closer than Jack's and frankly the Doctor didn't want to carry you the extra thirty feet._

_What are you talking about?_

_Don't you remember?_

_Remember __**what?**_

_I'll let the boys tell you. Now GET UP._

_You sound like my mother._

_So help me, Sweetheart, I __**will**__ turn the lights on._

_Alright, Mum. _Alex sighed and rolled out of bed.

The bedroom door opened. "…and so I was thinking that – this is not Squash Court 4."

Jack laughed. "No it is not. Allie, you awake?"

"Uh huh," replied Alex.

"How are you?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

"A little blurry," Alex answered. "So what happened?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Running from aliens from dawn 'till dusk, which coincidentally was about 17 hours on that planet," answered the Doctor. "You were exhausted."

"Yeah? Well why don't I remember it, hmm?"

"Well, remember that time when the three of us swapped bodies? When you were me, I was Jack, and Jack was you?" the Doctor asked.

"…yes?" responded Alex.

"It was nothing like that," he finished.

"Ever helpful, this one," Jack said.

Alex nodded. "I suppose you're also going to tell me it _wasn't_ like the time we went ice skating on that planet whose English name started with a 'double X', which I still maintain isn't a letter?"

"Actually it **was** kind of like that," replied Jack thoughtfully.

"The aliens or the concussion?"

"Both."

"I don't have a concussion."

"No you do not," agreed the Doctor. "The TARDIS took care of the head injury."

"So there _was_ a head injury involved?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

_Tara, he's being difficult!_

Alex felt the TARDIS do the mental equivalent of chuckling in the back of her mind. _I can see that, Sweetheart._

"Hey, you can't just go over my head and complain to the TARDIS!" the Doctor whined.

"I think you'll find I can, Doc," Alex responded. "So tell me, Doctor dearest, what went on yesterday?"

The Doctor mumbled something indistinct. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Even after all this time, he's not fond of admitting he screwed up," Jack declared. "He walked us right into a trap."

"You almost died," the Doctor admitted.

"Well, I didn't," Alex reminded them. "That's what's important, yeah?"

—

Later, Alex caught Jack by the sleeve in the hallway. The Doctor was waiting for them on the other side of Squash Court 4's doors.

"Jack."

"Yes?"

"So, I'm mortal, yeah?"

"Yes."

"You and Doc both have a whole lot more time than I do."

"I try not to think about it."

"Well sometimes I can't help but think ahead."

"Allie –"

"Jack."

"What are you getting at?"

"If I die – when I die –"

"Alex, you're too young to talk that way."

"I travel with the Doctor. Between the three of us, someone's got to be the adult and plan for the future, hmm?"

"Fine."

"When I die, promise me you won't leave him. If you're not with us, or we're not with him, _find him._ He's lost so much. So many people. You saw the look in his eyes when he told me I'd nearly died. And I didn't see him last night, but it couldn't have been pretty."

"He was a mess."

"See what I mean? I don't want him alone if something happens to me."

_I'll be here._

_No offense, Tara, but I think he needs another person with a proper body. Not that this isn't a lovely ship._

_I understand._

"Alex, I –"

"Promise me you won't leave him alone."

"I won't. I wouldn't. I couldn't."

"And promise me that if anything happens to me, you'll look after yourself, too."

"I promise."

_I'll hold him to that._

_I know you will, Tara._

—

"I thought you covered all of that mortality stuff when you were here the first time," the Doctor commented later.

"Yeah. With _you_," Alex answered casually.

"You know, you're more comfortable with all of that than most humans," observed the Doctor.

Alex shrugged. "I spend all my time dealing with usually hostile aliens and running away from things. It's easier to just have a plan for things. Especially considering that my two best friends are immortal and functionally immortal, respectively, but also too dumb to stick together when they ought to."

"I don't think that's really fair to –"

"You're not _allowed _to be defensive over that. I'm right. And I can name other former companions who'd back me up."

And that was the end of that.

* * *

_Relevant shorts:_

_- Just Like Old Times_

_- Almost_


	13. Ten

_**Chapter 10:**_

_Thanks a lot, Universe._

She'd meant it to be theoretical. She hadn't thought that it would come up any time _soon._

This planet wasn't supposed to be threatening. They were going on a _holiday_, for God's sake!

But no.

Their luck never worked that way.

Alex had been separated from Jack and the Doctor in the crowd, but that didn't worry them.

Well, not until she was grabbed by two probably human people in military uniforms.

"JACK!"

—

Jack and the Doctor had been separated from Alex. That was alright, Allie was a big girl. She could more than handle herself in difficult situations, she'd demonstrated that countless times since joining the Torchwood team.

Jack was more than a little bit distracted, anyway. The Doctor kept getting distracted by things – really, this new regeneration was like a little kid.

"JACK!" Alex's voice screamed. "JACK!"

"Allie?" he called back.

"Jack!" She sounded close to tears now.

He grabbed the Doctor's hand and they started pushing through the crowd toward where she was. She screamed.

"Allie, where are you?" he shouted.

"I love you!" yelled Alex. "Stay with them!"

After that, she didn't say anything else. The Doctor and Jack reached a place with scuffly marks on the ground, but no other sign of Alex.

"Stay with them?" the Doctor repeated.

"You and the TARDIS," Jack replied bitterly. "She thinks she's going to die."

—

Alex was in a real mess this time. She'd woken up in a nearly empty room, sitting on a chair with her hands handcuffed behind her back.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" she asked loudly. A woman with red hair and an eye patch on her right eye stepped into the room. "Oh, it's _you._"

"Hello, Miss Hall," Madame Kovarian greeted her.

"Harkness," Alex corrected venomously. "No one's used my proper surname in years."

"Miss Harkness, then," Madame Kovarian amended.

"Why am I here? Last time I would've thought it was because you wanted to know something about the Doctor or the TARDIS, but the Doctor is _dead_. Because of you," snapped Alex.

"You've caused a good bit of trouble on your own," answered Madame Kovarian.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to help my friend. Who you killed anyway. Which makes me wonder – why did you do that?" She stood up. "What did the Doctor ever do to you? 'Cause I can promise you that if he screwed up your life on purpose then you deserved it. That's just how he worked. But if he didn't, then you _definitely _deserve it now."

"He was a menace. A threat to the universe."

"He was a _healer!_ That's what 'doctor' means, you know. Most doctors heal people. Well, this one healed the Universe. Galaxies. Planets. Countries. All still around and safe because of _him._And you just killed him because he threatened your norms. Because you were scared of what _might_ happen. I'll let you in on a little secret about the big secret you murdered to keep quiet. Doc's name is just that, a name. He kept it to himself because it was _all he had left_. In case you missed it, **Gallifrey is gone.** He was the last of his kind."

"They were dead by his hand."

"And now he's dead by yours! The last of a species! And don't even start about the Time War – I know what happened and why. The TARDIS told me. You know, she was the last of her kind, too. And she's gone now, just like he is. All. Your. Fault. And _the Doctor_ was the menace?"

"Stop talking."

"Sorry, no." Alex smirked. "The Doctor taught me well."


	14. Eleven

_**Chapter 11:**_

It was days before they found any sign of her.

Even then, it was only a lone Converse shoe with dried blood on it.

Jack optimistically suggested that this was from injuring someone else, rather than having sustained an injury herself.

They kept looking.

"Maybe she was right," Jack said, three weeks after she'd disappeared. "Maybe she's gone."

"What happened to 'maybe she kicked someone in the head'?" asked the Doctor.

"We spent a month looking for her and came up with a bloody shoe," answered Jack.

The Doctor put his arms around Jack. "Don't talk that way, Captain."

"Doc, the longer we have no word, the more likely it is that she's dead," Jack pointed out reasonably. "It's probably too late."

"Which means that it might _not _be."

Four days later, Jack and the Doctor finally found something.

Lying in an alley off of the street where she'd gone missing, they came across a young woman who was pale, bloody, and bruised, in a ripped blue t-shirt and cargo shorts, with a telltale streak of blue in her curly black hair.


	15. Eleven point five

_**Chapter 11.5:**_

_Allie,_

_We really need you to wake up, alright, Little Lady? Doc's worried sick, he barely leaves the medbay. It's been taking even more convincing than usual to even get him to do normal Doctor-ey things._

_So do me a favour and wake up. We need our supervising adult back._

-_Jack_

_Alexandra,_

_This behavior is not acceptable. We need you awake and helping out around the TARDIS! And Jack's been so preoccupied with your injuries that we haven't been on a single proper adventure since we found you. And it's looking suspiciously like we won't go on one until you're well again._

_Oh, who am I kidding? We're both worried about you, Allie._

_Please wake up, Alexandra. For us._

_-The Doctor_


	16. Twelve

_**Chapter 12:**_

_Sweetheart, you need to wake up now._

_Oh, not this again. C'mon, Tara, let me sleep._

_You've slept long enough. The boys are worried._

_They found me?_

_Of course, Sweetheart. And now they're worried sick._

_They found me._

_Yes. Now WAKE UP._

Alex opened her eyes. She was in the TARDIS's medbay, and she had never been so happy to wake up in the all too familiar room. Jack had fallen asleep in a chair next to her, and the Doctor was sprawled across the room's other bed. She squeezed Jack's hand.

"G'mornin', Sunshine," Alex greeted.

Jack's eyes snapped open. "Allie?"

"Did you miss me?" she asked, smiling.

Jack jumped up and ran to the other bed. "Doc! Doc, wake up! Allie's awake!"

"Five more minutes," responded the Doctor sleepily.

"Tara said you'd been worried. I would've expected you to be quite happy to see me awake," Alex said.

_That_ woke the Doctor up. "Allie, you're awake! You're alive!"

"Yep!" replied Alex. "At least, I certainly _feel_ less dead than before."

"Oh, Allie," Jack said, "don't even joke about that."

—

"You should take some time away from adventuring for a while. Recover, and all that," the Doctor suggested reluctantly.

"You think so?" replied Alex.

"Jack and I could go with you," he continued. "And when you were alright again we could all go back to our travels through time and space!"

"And why would _you_ want to do that? Take the slow path for a few weeks instead of just dropping me off and skipping ahead?"

"I don't want to miss again. Plus, I'm s'posed to be dead, so it wouldn't hurt to be out of the way for a while. And besides, Jack will want to stay with you, too."

"Why does what Jack wants to do affect what _you _decide to do?"

"Because you were right. About him and me, I mean. We… we need each other."

"So it only took me almost dying – _again_ – to get it through your head?"

"Yes," admitted the Doctor. "Anyway, I want to stick with him, you know?"

Alex nodded. "Uh huh. By the way, I know _exactly_ where we're going for that down time."

—

"Helloooooo Torchwood Three!" Jack said loudly.

"Salutations!" greeted Alex.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Gwen shouted.

"Erm, away? Like we said?" Alex replied hesitantly.

"You said you'd be away for a few days!" Caleb said.

"It's only been –"

"It's been seven and a half weeks!" finished Maria.

Alex and Jack both whacked the Doctor. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Who's that?" Maria asked.

"This is Dr John Smith. He's joining us as a consultant of sorts while Tara recovers," Jack answered.

"Recovers?" Caleb repeated, sounding reluctantly concerned.

"I got a little beat up while I was away," Alex explained.

"You're alright now, though, right?" Maria asked.

"Right as rain," responded the Doctor. "Or at least, she will be."

"So you're even more of a liability than before, Miss I-don't-carry-a-weapon-in-the-field?" Caleb said, clearly trying to regain some of his usual antagonism.

Alex smiled. "It's good to be back."

* * *

_a/n - so there's Letters! I'm working on the not-sequel, (ever so creatively titled "More Letters") about the time at Torchwood that picks up after the rescue mission all those chapters ago and then skips ahead to after this bit!_

_That won't go up here until after I finish it, though, like this one. The prologue's already up on my tumblr (I'm agentsnickers, by the way. I don't think I mentioned it before). That's also where you can find the shorts. There's a link on the side to my Letters-verse scribbles. _

_If you've read through this whole thing and are reading my author's note now, would you pretty please do me a favour and leave a review telling me what you think? It helps me to improve my writing. But if you don't want to, that's alright too._

_Less-than-three!_


End file.
